


Lifetime of LOVE

by SansyFresh



Series: Fresh's Babble Collection [5]
Category: Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: Angst, Can be considered brotherly, Caring Papyrus, Comfort, Fellcest...sort of, Fluff, On the surface, nervous sans
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-08-10
Updated: 2016-08-10
Packaged: 2018-08-08 00:12:40
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,265
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7735348
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SansyFresh/pseuds/SansyFresh
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Papyrus has noticed that Sans covers most of his body all of the time, even when he is sleeping. He doesn't find out why until he has to help his brother clean up after a messy accident in Sans' lab. What he finds out will change how he understands his older bro.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Lifetime of LOVE

**Author's Note:**

> ...I don't know, need more fluffy angst with the Fells on the Surface. *shrugs* Enjoy!

It had started with his jacket. Papyrus had noticed first, while they were still trapped in the Underground, that Sans never removed his jacket. Not at Grillby’s, not at his station, not at home. Not even at his Hotland station, where Papyrus was certain the heat must have been hell to deal with. He never asked, but he had always assumed it made Sans feel safe, and so left him alone about it.

  
  
Later, after the human fell and befriended all of them with their charm alone, Papyrus noticed that Sans never removed his shoes or gloves, not even when he went to bed. Papyrus had said something about it then, trying to convince his older brother that it wasn’t sanitary to wear his dirt covered articles of clothing in his (relatively) clean bed. Sans had brushed him off, claiming it helped him keep warm. When Papyrus thought on the reason later, it occurred to him that they were skeletons; they didn’t need to cover up that much, they didn’t get cold unless it was under frigid conditions. But, he kept his mouth shut about it; Sans surely had his reasons.

  
  
It wasn’t until they had lived on the surface for a year that Sans' screaming insecurities became fully apparent to him. Papyrus felt bad, he should have been able to see these things much sooner. Sans never left the house, only drudging up the will when Papyrus practically begged him to accompany him to town. When he was successful, Sans would hide behind him the entire time, eyelights flickering nervously in every direction, his breathing erratic until they arrived wherever they were going. Once again Papyrus had confronted him on the problem, and was once again gently pushed away, Sans giving monotonous excuses.

  
  
When they were at home, Sans was either in his room or down in the lab he had built himself, tinkering with machinery or performing small experiments. Papyrus could only get him to stay in the same room if they were eating, which usually only happened in the evening. It frustrated Papyrus to no end. What was wrong with his brother? Why wouldn’t Sans let him help? Sure, he had been an abusive ass before, but Sans had claimed he had forgiven him for all that, especially after Papyrus genuinely begun changing his ways for the better, becoming more like a father-figure for Frisk. Had he lied? Was Papyrus still fucking things up with his only family?

  
  
Papyrus rubbed his skull, lounging on the couch in their living room, the TV off and the sun already hidden behind the far off mountains. Sans was out in his lab, and should have been coming back in at any moment. Sighing, Papyrus stood and walked to the kitchen, shutting the light off once he was certain everything was cleaned up.

  
  
He turned quickly when the front door slammed open, Sans cursing and grumbling as he shut and re-locked the door behind him. Papyrus walked back into the living room and promptly burst into laughter, doubling over slightly. Sans was covered head to toe in soot and black oil, his bones grimy and a very dark, almost black gray.

  
  
“Yeah, yeah, laugh it up, Boss.” Sans snarled, kicking off his goop covered shoes before stomping across the carpet towards the bathroom. Papyrus was giggling, tears in his sockets. It always tickled him to see his brother this flustered. When he had calmed down enough he walked to the bathroom, where Sans was staring at himself in the mirror, grimacing as he tried to part his fingers, the black goop sticking his joints together. Papyrus shook his head, smiling, before he walked in the rather large bathroom, shutting the door behind him. Sans spun toward him, a slight fear in his eyes. Papyrus frowned.

  
  
“Um…ah…whatcha doin', Boss?” Papyrus growled, but calmed himself when Sans flinched.

  
  
“Please don’t call me Boss. That idiotic title no longer fits who I am.” Sans seemed to think this over before nodding. Papyrus smiled before he continued.

  
  
“What I am doing is helping you get out of those clothes and get clean. It’s a wonder you got your shoes off, which I am appreciative of.” Papyrus gave his brother a pointed look and Sans chuckled; he knew better than to drag this gunk all over the carpet. He stopped immediately when he registered what all Papyrus had said.

 

“Uh, bro, I, uh, I don’t need help, I can do it…”

  
  
“Nonsense! I am going to help you Sans, you are not going to stop me!” Papyrus walked briskly to his brother, yanking down his shorts without another word before he set him up on the sink so he could better reach his shirt. Sans yelped, covering himself quickly as his face burned a bright crimson.

  
  
“Boss, Pap, seriously, stop!” he yelled, trying to get down and push his brother away, pulling his jacket down to cover his legs. Papyrus growled and he stilled. Making his brother angry was not something he planned on adding to his already horrid night. So he merely whimpered as his brother pulled his jacket, shirt, and collar off, picking up his pants and leaving only after giving Sans a grave look, making certain he wasn’t going to try and escape. Once he had put the horridly filthy clothes in the wash he strode back, picking Sans up at arm’s length and putting him in the tub.

  
  
Papyrus didn’t waste any time, turning the water on full heat before turning the shower nozzle on its massage setting, letting the water work the gray and black ooze off of his brother’s bones, feeling more and more unsettled as the white returned. Sans was covered, skull to toe, with scars. Old scars from broken bones, deep, jagged scars from bites and cuts, and precise, planned holes that filled Papyrus with dread. Sans was trembling the entire time, his arms wrapped around himself tightly, sobbing quietly.

  
  
Once he had gotten most of the thicker gunk off, Papyrus retrieved a wash rag and soaped it up, letting the water continue to rain on Sans’ skull while he worked. Soon his brother was completely clean and Papyrus had never in his life been so horrified. Sans was crying bitterly, nearly falling to his knees in his shame as he trembled. Papyrus frowned before grabbing the largest, fluffiest towel they owned and swaddled his brother up tightly, making him into more or less a burrito. Picking him up gently, Papyrus pressed Sans’ skull to his chest, murmuring sweetly.

  
  
Once they were upstairs Papyrus dried him off, placing him on the bed until he had found the fuzzy pajama set he had bought Sans the first time they went shopping. Dressing him in the warm, soft clothing, Papyrus snuggled him for a moment before wrapping him in the large fleece blanket he loved so much, much like the way he had been wrapped in the towel.

  
  
“Do I disgust you, Pap?” Sans mumbled, his tears all but gone. Papyrus laid him down and cuddled close, holding his brother and caressing his skull.

  
  
“No, Sans. Not now. Not ever. Go to sleep.” Sans nodded, yawning adorably before drifting off, twitching every now and then. Papyrus smiled before he closed his eyes as well. He and Sans would have to talk about all those marks at some point. But not now. Now was a time for sleep. With nothing but love for his brother in his mind, Papyrus fell into a deep sleep, a small smile on both his and his brother’s faces.


End file.
